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Desha County, AR

Cattle prices near Desha County, Arkansas. The closest sale barn with a recent report is Grenada MS in Grenada, MS, about 82 miles away. The latest report is dated Nov 9 (USDA). Check a bid against your own costs with Ring Price.

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CRP emergency haying & grazing: Desha County is on FSA's list (since Sep 1, 2026). Check with your FSA county office first. Details · FSA list as of Nov 5, 2026.
Drought ExceptionalD4 · most of county Drought pay (LFP) Eligibleup to 5 payments Burn ban Checkcall the county Como MS 5-wt steers $391▲ $53 since last sale

Desha County rain, outlook and forecast

The Nov 10 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows most of Desha County, AR in exceptional drought (D4); week 43 in a row with some severe drought (D2) or worse. Rain has run 24% of normal over the last 30 days (well below normal); the best rain chance this week is 21% on Saturday (high 76°) and the 6-10 day outlook for Nov 20–24 leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain). FSA's 2026 LFP list includes Desha County with up to 5 monthly payments, and Grenada MS is the closest USDA-reported sale barn at 82 miles.

Rain vs normal

  • Last 30 days 24% of normal
  • Last 60 days 20% of normal
  • Last 90 days not read yet

NOAA river forecast center rain (radar plus gauges) at the county center, Nov 15, 2026. Source.

Rain outlook

  • 6-10 day outlook (Nov 20–24) Leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain)
  • 8-14 day outlook (Nov 22–28) Leans wetter than normal (33% chance of above-normal rain)

NOAA Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook, issued Nov 14, 2026. Source.

Next 7 days

  1. Today Mostly Sunny, high 61°, low 42°, 3% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  2. Monday Sunny, high 65°, low 37°, 0% rain, wind 5–10 mph
  3. Tuesday Sunny, high 67°, low 41°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  4. Wednesday Sunny, high 70°, low 46°, 0% rain, wind 5 mph
  5. Thursday Mostly Sunny, high 74°, low 49°, 1% rain, wind 5 mph
  6. Friday Sunny, high 75°, low 50°, 1% rain, wind 5 mph
  7. Saturday Sunny, high 76°, low 53°, 21% rain, wind 5–10 mph

National Weather Service forecast for the county center, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind, warnings and burn bans.

PRF pasture insurance: sign up by Dec 1, 2026

The 2027 Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance sales closing date for Desha County is Dec 1, 2026, 16 days from today. PRF (Rainfall Index) pays on a rainfall index for your grid, not on your own rain gauge. You buy it through a crop insurance agent.

How PRF works · PRF 2027 sign-up · Find your grid on RMA's PRF tool

Date from USDA RMA's actuarial data, read Aug 28, 2026 · RMA dates map. Your agent confirms the date for your policy.

Desha County grass production

In 2025, grassland and pasture in Desha County grew about 2,547 pounds per acre of grass and forbs, 118% of the county's 1991-2020 normal of 2,163 pounds per acre. That was the 7th best of 40 years on record (1986-2025). Best year: 2023 at 3,208 pounds per acre; worst: 1986 at 992.

Pounds per acre of new grass and forbs each year on rangeland and pasture, from the Rangeland Analysis Platform (satellite-based estimates). See every year on the Land tab.

Open loss windows

No open loss windows in Desha County right now. A 30-day window opens when the county first hits severe drought (D2), jumps to D3 or D4, or after a blizzard, extreme heat or cold, flood or ice warning, a wildfire, or a USDA disaster designation. Keep a Drought Ledger.

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Cownty sends nothing to FSA.

Drought-sale tax flag IRS list

Desha County is on IRS Notice 2026-54 (severe or worse drought, Sep 1, 2025 to Aug 31, 2026).

Why it matters: if you sold breeding, dairy or draft livestock because of drought, the tax code may let you put off the gain (more time to buy replacement animals, or report the extra-sale income a year later). Your tax preparer decides whether either applies.

Work out your numbers and print a page for your preparer

Information only; not financial, tax or legal advice. Ask your tax preparer. FSA decides program eligibility. IRS Notice 2026-54 (PDF)

Next 7 days · National Weather Service

Weather for Desha County

Forecast for the center point of Desha County.

    1. Today Mostly Sunny 61° 42° E 5–10 mph 3% rain
    2. Mon Sunny 65° 37° NE 5–10 mph 0% rain
    3. Tue Sunny 67° 41° E 5 mph 0% rain
    4. Wed Sunny 70° 46° ESE 5 mph 0% rain
    5. Thu Mostly Sunny 74° 49° SE 5 mph 1% rain
    6. Fri Sunny 75° 50° SE 5 mph 1% rain
    7. Sat Sunny 76° 53° SSE 5–10 mph 21% rain

    Forecast from the National Weather Service, updated Nov 15, 2026. Wind arrows point where the wind is going; the letters say where it comes from. Windy = 25 mph or more; freeze = a low of 32°F or less. Open the full forecast.

    Burn ban

    Data pending. Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Arkansas; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices

    No official ban list to check here, so Cownty shows the National Weather Service fire-weather alerts for the county instead: none right now.

    Guide: Burn bans: where to check and what they mean

    Weather warnings right now

    None right now

    National Weather Service active alerts for this county, as of Nov 15, 2026 (source). Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

    Rainfall vs normal

    Oct 2026
    0.06 in 1% of normal
    Last 12 months
    27.41 in 51%
    How to read this

    Bars are the rain that fell each month; the dashed line is a normal month (1991-2020 average). Bars below the line = drier than normal.

    County-average precipitation, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026. Normal = NCEI's own 1991-2020 average for each month (Oct 2026 normal 4.25 in; same month last year 4.91 in). NCEI posts each month around the 8th of the next and may revise recent months. Source: NOAA NCEI Climate at a Glance. Fetched Nov 14, 2026.

    Wildfires

    No current fire perimeter in the county

    No current perimeter within 100 mi of the county center (48 mapped nationally).

    See the fire map

    Interagency fire outlines. Small or brand-new fires are often not mapped yet; call 911 for a fire you can see. Layer updated Nov 15, 2026. Source: National Interagency Fire Center. Fetched Nov 15, 2026.

    Frost dates

    Frost and freeze dates

    30-year averages (1991–2020) from the weather stations nearest Desha County. Frost = 32°F; hard freeze = 28°F.

    Rohwer 2 Nne weather station (2 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    247-day growing season
    		 Mar 12
    1 year in 10 it's after Mar 31
    		 Nov 14
    1 year in 10 it's before Oct 29
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    277-day growing season
    		 Feb 28
    1 year in 10 it's after Mar 18
    		 Nov 28
    1 year in 10 it's before Nov 6

    Arkansas Post weather station (15 mi away)

    Typical last spring frostTypical first fall frost
    Frost (32°F)
    251-day growing season
    		 Mar 10
    1 year in 10 it's after Mar 28
    		 Nov 18
    1 year in 10 it's before Nov 2
    Hard freeze (28°F)
    278-day growing season
    		 Feb 28
    1 year in 10 it's after Mar 15
    		 Dec 2
    1 year in 10 it's before Nov 11

    Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Rohwer 2 Nne, Arkansas Post), NOAA files as of Jun 27, 2023. Fetched Nov 11, 2026.

    Text me Desha County changes

    Nearest USDA-reported sale barns

    1. Glenwild Stockyard Inc. Grenada, MS 82 mi · sells Mondays · latest USDA report Nov 9, 2026
    2. Lipscomb Brothers Livestock Como, MS 88 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026
    3. Winona Stockyard Winona, MS 90 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
    4. Arkansas Cattle Auction LLC Searcy, AR 102 mi · sells Tuesdays · latest USDA report Nov 10, 2026
    5. Johnson Stockyard Kosciusko, MS 109 mi · sells Wednesdays · latest USDA report Nov 11, 2026

    Miles are straight-line from the county center. Sale days come from the barns' recent USDA AMS reports; call the barn to confirm. All barns

    Printable county brief (PDF) · Everything on one page · Nearest USDA hay reports (none for Arkansas): Missouri, Oklahoma

    Common questions and nearby counties

    Is Desha County eligible for LFP in 2026?

    Yes. Desha County is on FSA's 2026 Livestock Forage Disaster Program county list, with up to 5 monthly payments for some pasture types. FSA decides each operation's eligibility; apply at your county FSA office by March 1 after the loss year.

    Source: FSA LFP county file of Nov 5, 2026

    What is the drought level in Desha County this week?

    On the Drought Monitor map of Nov 10, 2026, most of Desha County was in exceptional drought (D4), and the worst part was exceptional drought (D4) on 70% of the county. 43 straight weeks with some severe drought (D2) or worse.

    Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, map of Nov 10, 2026

    Is there a burn ban in Desha County?

    No official statewide list to check: Cownty doesn't read an official statewide burn-ban list for Arkansas; county commissions, sheriffs and fire districts post local fire restrictions, so check your county's own notices.

    What sale barns are near Desha County?

    The nearest USDA-reported sale barns: Grenada MS (82 mi), last report Nov 9, 2026; Como MS (88 mi), last report Nov 11, 2026; Winona MS (90 mi), last report Nov 10, 2026.

    Source: USDA AMS Market News reports

    What are the upcoming FSA and farm deadlines?

    Next: Nov 20, 2026: Apply for NRCS conservation cost-share (EQIP, CSP, ACEP) to be considered for 2027 money; Nov 20, 2026: Micro Farm 2027: last day to buy crop insurance. FSA program dates not posted officially are marked "confirm at source" on the calendar.

    Source: official agency pages (see Calendar)

    Information only; not financial or legal advice. FSA decides eligibility. Always check the linked official source.